How exciting can beige be?
It’s a valid question, but maybe this is the better one: do you really want your beige to be exciting? Wouldn’t you rather it be dependable, versatile, and lovely?
Benjamin Moore‘s Shaker Beige HC-45 is all of those things. I’ve used it A LOT, and I’ve mentioned it in posts about a Craftsman house and a bossy basic.
I think of “beige” as being light…sort of a dark off-white. Shaker Beige is darker. And it doesn’t have the yellow undertones that “tan” can have. It’s drier.
Here it is in a living room we recently painted. The client wanted the room to be more sophisticated and warm. Privately, I was a bit worried that the Shaker Beige might be a little dark, but it looks fantastic, and the client loves it.
Here’s the before – white, white everywhere:
And here are the afters:
The house had just been painted before the clients moved in, so we left the bright white trim and ceilings. I would have preferred a more mellow color for the trim and fireplace surround, such as Albescent OC-40. But it looks great anyway :)